This is my post on Facebook on the deceptive use of titles

We need to stop this habit of using the Dr. title for people who are awarded honorary doctorates or “doctor honoris causa”. These are not to be written as if they were earned degrees. It is deception and I believe that we the educated in society should be setting the right examples. These little things eat at our moral fibre as a people.

An honorary doctoral degree is often awarded in recognition of one’s life experiences. It is denoted by the letters “h.c.”, which is an abbreviation for “honoris causa” (Latin for “for the sake of honor”). This means that the degree is bestowed as an honor rather than through the completion of certain academic requirements. Those who are honored with this title often do not have any prior connection to the award-giving institution. (http://www.ladc-institute.com/home/what-is-an-honorary-doctorate/)

We have people who have been given honorary doctorates by churches, some by schools, which do not have graduate schools. These honorary degrees are great and a good honor that is bestowed on great people who have done great things in our society. I have not done much to be given one, so I greatly appreciate those who have contributed their quota to the benefit of our society and have been rightly recognized . I know quite a few new honorary doctorates who are very deserving; Prof Naana Owusu Agyemang and Mr. Adu Annane Antwi. It is gratifying that these two and others like them do not add these to their titles. Prof has not added another “Dr” to the string of titles she has earned, neither has 3A done so.

So please when honorary titles are given to you please do not confuse people by using it as if it were earned. Please lets self appraise ourselves and stop people who call or write the title Dr. to our names. Lets use it correctly.

We as the media should also do a good job and not bestow upon people what they are not. We should do our checks before we do the title thing, if in doubt don’t use any title at all. We have the examples of catholic bishops who have multiple earned doctorates and PhD but do not write them. Honesty is the best policy we all learnt as kids, so why will we abandon them. This is my humble opinion; thank God for the interactivity of social media, there were so many responses to the post. It includes attacks on me for using ‘elite’ when I meant ‘educated’. Who made me part of the elite, two of my friends Thomas Addaquay and Kay Jay took me on & I agree with them, so I have made the correction. These are all the comments to the post

My good friend the lawyer who has made this same point on another platform was the first to comment very quickly. Kojo Anan Ankomah How about “Honourable”? I replied in quick succession Edem Ashigbi Ace our country is in love with form rather than substance. We should check from the place we borrow these concepts from and see how they use them. I have not checked, I stand correction but I understand that in the UK the title is used only in the house of parliament. – A few people took me on for not practicing the basic journalistic dictate of cross checking facts. May be I can be forgive as I am not a journalist and do not pretend to be. I guess I could also be forgive as this is a conversation in which I was not inpuning anybody’s intergrity and was expecting others to help me with the fact and Ace did that aptly in the next post. I trust Ace he will be on point.

Kojo Anan Ankomah Actually, It isn’t even a title. It is a description that is made, after the name of the MP has been mentioned. But in Ghana, it made a quick run to appear before their names, as titles. Funny. Evron Hughes Then there’ll be no point in honouring them at all, no? As the good book says, who lights a candle and covers it up? I think the best approach is to identify it as an Honorary degree, rather than not using it at all. – This might be a good compromise.

One of my football experts drew linkages with what is happening in sports that I agree with, using Kwasi Appiah honary doctorate title for him. We have had some footballers who had earned doctorates, Socrates of the Brazilian national team. So says Nana Kwaku Agyemang Talk to the sports media about it because they keep patronizing coach kwasi appiah by calling him Dr. The beauty of democracy we also had those who disagreed with my position. Xornam Zumzum Azumah i disagree. Then lets not give it to the deserving people at all. Because what is the need of a title which is not attached to your name

One of my team members at Graphic Communications Group Ltd, agreed with me and brought home the need that we do not cheapen the hard work entailed in getting a PHD or any other earned doctorate. George Folley They should write thesis and not these cheap doctorates. Then returns Xornam to remind Ace of the fact that In was committing the Ghanaian sin that the later had spoken about on Ocran’s spring board platform. Hear Xornam Zumzum Azumah Here you are Ace Ankonah, as you said at spring board road show at Cape Coast that a Ghanaian would say something and end by saying I stand to be corrected. “Abiii” you remember.

Ace returns to laugh aloud Kojo Anan Ankomah Xornam, lol… and the paradox is established which is akin to “good beads do not talk” or Lions do not have to roar to show that they are lions – Iwezekanvyo Uwezekano you know the funny thing those who earned it hardly use them, But those honorees tend to use them.

My friend Thomas, agrees with me but takes me on for daring to see myself as an elite. Yes he is right I am not and I do not pretend to be one, the word I should have used in place of elite is educated. But I do not understand his use of “P” and “Q”. He was quick to add citation to us source. – Thomas Addaquay I agree with everything you said except for your supposition “we the elite” that’s part of the developmental problem across Africa. It’s a pre existing knowledge (P) that must change through questioning it’s usefulness and relevance to a fast changing world where kids build empires from their basements. So that has to change as well (Q) according to (Smith, 1997). Ref Smith, P.A.C. (1997) ‘Questioning action learning: More on minding our Ps and Qs’ Management Decisions, 35(5), pp. 365-372. My $0.02 efo.

Ben my APSU brother salutes me for the post with this picture – Ben Acheampong Hmm, when proper PHD holders like Condoleezza Rice seldom have Dr. attached to their names, we have people with Honorary Doctorate confered on them by churches and ‘JHSs’ flaunting that in the face of everyone and sometimes take offence when you mention their names without preceding it with Dr. lol. Other post were from the following Edmund Agyeman · 47 mutual friends Exactly my thoughts, otherwise why should anybody waste time and money for a PhD when you can join politics, do what is expected of you and get a PhD on a silver platter. John Adamah Your humble opinion, Sir, which I share in. I was almost roasted by one such person who insisted I addressed her properly and I had to obey to ensure peace. That is how much Africans cherish these titles,honorary or not.

James Aglah Senior, the worst form comes from herbalists who arrogate the title to themselves and insist on being addressed as such and they have willing collaborators in some radio presenters across the nation. It’s deception of the highest order!. My financial consultant Charles offers an alternative; Charles Mensa Why Ken let them use it. We will use PhD after ours . One of the top reporters from Graphic Communications Group Ltd responds too – Della Russel It’s so annoying huh? Sometimes I wish I could punch the mouth of my colleagues working with the electronic media. They have made#PHd_to_look_so_Cheap

I am reminded that I am not the first to express such frustrations. Prosper Afuti I remember reading a similar piece by Kojo Anan Ankomah on Ghana man and his love for titles… this one too sheds more lights on it. Kay Jay · went into name mentioning to protect myself from any legal challenge let be take that out. His second post was to take me on about saying something I was not sure about. Kay Jay ·Elite Edem Ashigbi, kindly do a little research next time before you come cos u in a better position to correct yourself before corrected. For that I rebutted – Edem Ashigbi Kay Jay what should I have done, I do not profess to know it all. My use of the work elite refers to those of us who have gone to some school who should know better. My Grandma in Tsiame will not arrogate to herself any title she has not earned. Most of the problems of our country come from we the educated. I also responded to Evron – Edem Ashigbi Evron Hughes it is important to honour them, but they should make a distinction between the two is all we are saying if they even want to write it